Investigation Into a Restraint System Device Addressing Different Occupant Seating Positions andReal World Accident Scenarios

The development of occupant restraint systems continues to evolve in response to new government regulations and consumer demand. Traditional seatbelt and airbag designs are giving way to more complex and intelligent systems that respond to crash and occupant conditions. In regulated vehicle compliance safety tests, restraint performance is usually judged against injury criteria that differ with respect to occupant size. On the basis of National Automotive Sampling System/Crashworthiness Data System (NASS/CDS) accident data investigations, it can be observed that vehicle occupants on the passenger side sit predominantly on neutral to most-rear seat position. This paper discusses the approach of a multi-surface passenger airbag devised to enhance the protection of passenger occupants under different frontal collision scenarios in a range of varying occupant seating positions and occupant sizes. A wide range of experiments was carried out that adjusted parameters of the restraint system including seatbelt load limits, inflator outputs and various airbag shapes. This paper documents a new approach to a restraint system component as it looks behind specific test requirements to real world accident scenario comparisons.